THERMAL SCIENCE

International Scientific Journal

Ding Yuan

,

Xinying Li

,

Xiaoyan Shi

,

Wu Luo

STUDY ON THE ELECTRO-THERMAL COUPLING PROPERTIES OF POROUS JOULE HEATING CATALYST SUPPORTS FOR MSR HYDROGEN PRODUCTION

ABSTRACT
In this study, A three-dimensional multiphysics model coupling electric and thermal fields was developed to systematically explore the effects of microscopic structural parameters (wire diameter and spacing) on current density distribution, Joule heat source characteristics, and temperature field uniformity within the Joule heating catalyst support (JHCS).The results indicated that increasing the wire diameter directed current shunt toward the branch channels, thereby improving heat generation uniformity. Conversely, increasing the wire spacing led to current "dead zones" in the branch channels due to increased electrical resistance. This non-uniformity was further amplified because Joule heat was proportional to the square of the current density. The temperature field was primarily governed by the heat transfer radius determined by the pore size of the JHCS; excessively small wire diameters or large spacings resulted in significant low-temperature zones at the channel centers. Synthetically, a wire diameter of 0.10 mm and a wire spacing of 0.25 mm were identified as the optimal structure, achieving a balance between heat generation efficiency and thermal uniformity.
KEYWORDS
Methanol steam reforming, Joule heating catalyst support, Multiphysics simulation, Thermal uniformity
PAPER SUBMITTED: 2026-01-21
PAPER REVISED: 2026-06-12
PAPER ACCEPTED: 2026-06-13
PUBLISHED ONLINE: 2026-07-11
DOI REFERENCE: https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI260121096Y
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Study on the electro-thermal coupling properties of porous joule heating catalyst supports for MSR hydrogen production

© 2026 Society of Thermal Engineers of Serbia. Published by the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence